Fateful Meeting
by Nightambre
Summary: Take one bossy piggy and one loud dog, throw them together in a school setting, mix well.


_A bit of a look at how a couple of the Genin, in this case, Ino and Kiba, had met, and the possible consequences of that meeting as they grew older. This was based on back story in an RP. Unfortunately, unproofed. Hope you like_

Kids would be kids, or so the saying goes. While still in the Academy for training and all, children still had to be allowed to play, just to get it out of their system. They got restless, otherwise. What occured at this age, amongst the children, was no different, really, than a non-ninja village. Children played, children bullied, children cried because of being bullied, and so forth.

Fortunately, some were so used to bullying from others that there were no tears.

A group of girls, just a handful, wanted a ball to play with. A ball happened to have been in the clutches of two boys situated away from the others. It wasn't long before both boys were without their ball thanks to the pushy nature of a blonde-haired blue-eyed she-devil. When they got older, it would be reflected on why she had to go and change once she got into the Academy, hang out with other girls, and stopped playing with them, those two whom she grew up with. But at that point, they were just baffled, and the darker haired of the two merely complained she was trouble and was happy to hand over the ball she had so terribly wanted without much of a fuss.

And so, the girls had a ball to play with and occasionally, the ball would leave the circle, and the girls would end up confronting other boys. The blonde devil, who called herself Ino, often lead the crusade against those boys on behalf of all the quiet girls that seemed to flock to her (particularly the pink-haired one she had taken in not to long ago, but that was her choice. She'd rather the others wouldn't be so ...flock-like), and would rally to get the ball returned to her.

When the group of girls had parted ways that day, it had seemed to go as they usually did. But for some reason, or another, a group of said boys that Ino had dealt with previously (either earlier that day, that week, that month...she forogt), decided to finally pay the girls back for their bit of shoving around. They were never entirely mean for it, just that at least one of them had a personality that cowed most boys. They were either afraid, or didn't care. But this one... this one would prove to be a challenge...

"Who's that?"

Ino turned her head then, peering at the wild mop of reddish-brown hair that seemed to be the only thing she noticed when she looked at that one. "Inuzuka Kiba." She paused, and snorted, turning back to the assignment she and Sakura were working on. "Don't bother. Papa says nothing good ever comes from an Inuzuka."

The pink haired one was quiet, but as she was the one facing this Kiba, she saw the way he was pressuring one of their friends about something. Perhaps it was because Ino had again taken the playthings from Shikamaru and Chouji without a second thought. The girl over there was with her that time. But, then, she spoke, regardless. "He's picking on her pretty bad."

One thing about Ino that people mistook for just being a bad temper, is that she was a caretaker, and took care of those close to her. Grant it, she might have had a heavy hand in such tactics, but... It was why that upon this being pointed out to her, and with a visual confirmation, she stood up and walked over to the group, her cute little pink haired friend in tow.

She wasn't aware of what words were said, but all she saw was that little dog boy reach out and give one of the ponytails to the girl a hearty yank. The girl wasn't exactly one of courageous stock, and she whimpered and recoiled at the pulling instead of retaliating. This bothered Ino. It wasn't so much that Kiba yanked a girl's hair. Ino didn't cater to the preconceived notions of men and women (something that annoyed her continually about her friend Shikamaru, who started up some notion about not hitting girls), but it was the fact the girl he had decided to antagonized was refusing to stand up for herself.

Well, if she wouldn't, then Ino felt it was her duty to do so for her.

It all happened so fast, really. A hand reached out and grabbed the beige shirt with red patches and she flung it, and the body it was draped over to the side with enough force to hopefully hurtle him to facing her. She was aware of words being uttered, but her free hand was moving so fast that neither of them registered it connecting until the Inuzuka boy was sprawled out several feet away from the group. And it didn't stop there. She barely had enough time to register the fact the back of her fist was covered in blood, before she was pounced. Her face was hit, like for like. His stomach was kicked, her arm was bit, his hair was pulled which caused some comment about her making a good Inuzuka, which was rewarded with another hit to his mouth...

By the time their teacher arrived on the spot, both children were so beaten up they hardly looked like each other. The teacher, plus another adult had to pull the two apart, still trading blows as if nothing else mattered in the world. Looking back upon it, she would've suspected the strange smile he had wore over this puffy, bruised and bloodied face, but she was too busy being angry to make note of it.

Later that day, the parents had to be explained about their children fighting in school. The children glared at each other while the parents yelled. Ino, of course, had spoken up, admitting that she shouldn't have punched him (and thus, by way, admitting tos tarting the fight), but the blame was put on Kiba for pulling her friend's hair (Again, looking back, she noted that said friend never thanked her for sticking up for her). The parents of course, picked up where the children left off, and words were drowned out in their rising voices. In the end, though, the two would have detention.

The next day, Ino got several spit-wads to the back of the head. Kiba got a book to his already bandaged and swollen nose. Detention, once more. Three weeks later, Kiba got the wedgie of a lifetime, and Ino got a lizard down the back of her pants in thanks. Detention was averted as no punches actually got thrown.

The spit-wad trade in for a book to the nose was common. Common enough that they sat in detention, two years after their initial 'real' meeting, glaring at each other while doing the assignment handed to them (Both of them hated the book work). Ino sported a black eye, while Kiba's hand sported a bandage that covered the broken flesh from teeth in the meaty part between thumb and forefinger.

"When did you take t'biting?"

The whisper wasn't answered.

"Pickin' up bad habits from me."

She turned to see the grin on his face. It was cock-sure, and all for her. "Go to hell," was her retort. Again, a comment about bad habits from him was made, and she ignored that too.

He leaned closer. "Give it up, princess. One'a these days I'm gonna win this little feud."

"Like hell."

"I will."

"I won't lose to anyone. Especially to the likes of you."

The grin became predatory. "Y'sure?"

"Positive."

They sat in silence for the rest of their time, but he would not leave her be upon their release. He followed her through the academy halls. He followed her through the forested area around it. Followed, followed, followed... until she couldn't take it anymore and whirled around to confront it. When she did, for a moment, she thought she saw something other than Kiba there. Oh, it was dressed like him, to be sure. Overly large, and smelly she might add, parka making him look bigger than what he was. Noisy little rat-dog on the top of his head. And the red darts upon his cheeks further identified him as who he was. But the expression was something other than what she was used to. She couldn't put a name to it, but it was as if he was seeing _her_ as someone different as well.

But then the moment vanished, and he grinned that stupid, cocky grin. There were no words. He just turned and left her where she stood. But the grin made a promise. A promise to get her back for the bite. Just as the bite was to get him back for punching her in the face (her own fault, she moved wrong when he went to grapple her), as the punch/grapple was meant in retaliation for the thrown book in class, which was for the spit-wads that were still stuck in her hair somehow. There was a challenge in that grin, and one that Ino could not ignore. After all, she wouldn't lose to anyone.

Especially to the likes of him.


End file.
